Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

FedEx Ground: Sunday home delivery is here for US metro areas, including Memphis

FedEx Ground is now delivering to homes on Sundays all year long, paving the way for faster shipping, FedEx announced Wednesday.

The expansion applies to residences in and around major U.S. metro areas, covering 188 million people in 7,700 cities and towns. The Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville metro areas are among them, according to a FedEx presentation.

FedEx Ground originally announced the expansion of its FedEx Home Delivery business in May, citing the growth in online shopping. A few months later, UPS announced it would add Sunday delivery, too.

“As more customers expect weekend delivery, this enhancement to our network means that every day is now a delivery day at FedEx,” said FedEx COO Raj Subramaniam in a statement.

All aspects of FedEx Ground’s operation needed to be prepared to have a successful year-round Sunday delivery launch, said Patrick Fitzgerald, senior vice president for integrated marketing and communications at FedEx.

“Fortunately, we have made such significant investments not only in facilities, but in technology that allows us to make this happen,” he said. “From there, it was really just working with our service providers and partners and being prepared to turn this on.”

FedEx Ground had already been delivering seven days a week during the holidays to handle the influx of online orders. Its Home Delivery business saw a 42% increase in package volume from the previous December and delivered nearly 8 million Sunday packages between Black Friday and Christmas Eve, FedEx said.

In December, FedEx executives blamed year-round Sunday delivery preparations as part of the reason why Ground quarterly profits fell more than 40%. CEO Fred Smith said the company “probably underestimated” the cost of doing so.

Max Garland covers FedEx, logistics and health care for The Commercial Appeal. Reach him at max.garland@commercialappeal.com or 901-529-2651 and on Twitter @MaxGarlandTypes.